The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 / Page 112 (Color Image)

0112	The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2

BOOK II.

MARCO POLO

it furnishes the material for a most precious medicine.

Thus if a person is bitten by a mad dog, and they give

him but a small pennyweight of this medicine to drink,

he is cured in a moment. Again if a woman is hard in

labour they give her just such another dose and she is

delivered at once. Yet again if one has any disease like

the itch, or it may be worse, and applies a small quantity

of this gall he shall speedily be cured. So you see why

it sells at such a high price.

They also sell the flesh of this serpent, for it is ex-

cellent eating, and the people are very fond of it. And

when these serpents are very hungry, sometimes they

will seek out the lairs of lions or bears or other large

wild beasts, and devour their cubs, without the sire and

darn being able to prevent it. Indeed if they catch the

big ones themselves they devour them too ; they can

make no resistance.

In this province also are bred large and excellent

horses which are taken to India for sale. And you

must know that the people dock two or three joints of

the tail from their horses, to prevent them from flipping

their riders, a thing which

FANG]*ç-V&ÁĺAN they consider very unseemly.

They ride long like French-

°0°►~~li ~11~~~~....-- men, and wear armour of

000

°° ~~►~' `~~w•"~' boiled leather, and carry

00,00 `;~ ~® spears and shields and arb-

~..~-- ..."••■/~

"Riding long like Frenchmen."

sons, especially those medi-

tating mischief, constantly turort zachif rcate gcnz ehe-

bnuhent

TAnc frIttchoiz," carry this poison about with

them, so that if by any

chance they should be taken, and be threatened with

•

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